Space
The natural world does not end at the Earth's stratosphere.
Our own bodies are made up of elements that began their journey in the hearts of stars. The warmth of the Sun is just one of the conditions necessary to sustain life.
Our planet is part of a bigger picture - a cosmos which has fascinated humans since we first gazed at the night sky and named the constellations.
Meet the Museum scientists working at forefront of space research. Get answers to your pressing questions about our solar system, space missions, space travel, the search for life on Mars, planetary protection and beyond.
Explore highlights from the collections including gem-filled meteorites, extraterrestrial specimens and diamond stardust older than our solar system.
Welcome to the ever-expanding frontier of planetary science.
Space missions and research
-
NEWS14 February 2018A piece of Martian meteorite is being returned to the red planet by NASA.
-
NEWS5 January 2018This picture of the Earth and the Moon was captured by a NASA spacecraft on a mission to learn more about where life started.
-
NEWS25 October 2017Martian volcanoes are the largest in the solar system, but how fast they grow has long stumped planetary geologists.
-
NEWS31 May 2016Water on the surface of the Moon was supplied by asteroids, a study has shown.
Explore our solar system
-
SPACE15 January 2016The last 100 years have transformed our understanding of the Sun, but our star is yet to be fully understood.
-
SPACE15 March 2018Explore facts about Mercury, our solar system's fastest and often elusive planet.
-
SPACE27 January 2016Acid clouds and floods of lava – it may be our nearest planetary neighbour, but Venus is utterly inhospitable to human life.
-
SPACE14 June 2016A distinctive blue and green image of Earth reveals our planet's most remarkable features.
-
SPACE4 April 2016The surface of the Moon is speckled with craters - why doesn't Earth have a similarly scarred surface?
-
SPACE22 March 2016Watery world or desert planet? Mars holds secrets that are still being uncovered today.
-
SPACE8 March 2016Giant auroras, raging clouds and a storm three centuries in the making - Jupiter is every bit as dramatic as its appearance suggests.
-
SPACE11 February 2016Blue skies on a golden planet, and two of our solar system's greatest extremes – Saturn is a planet of contrasts and surprises.
-
SPACE23 February 2016Cold, dark and windswept - despite its calm appearance, the ice giant Uranus is a planet of extremes.
-
SPACE3 May 2016Our solar system's outermost planet may be last but it's certainly not least. Get the facts on this planet of extremes.
-
SPACE4 January 2016A blue atmosphere, smooth areas, and youthful mountain ranges - this dwarf planet is full of surprises.
Space news
-
SCIENCE NEWS29 March 2018Researchers have been studying the magnetic fields of 4.6-billion-year-old meteorites.
-
NEWS14 February 2018
A piece of Martian meteorite is being returned to the red planet by NASA.
-
NEWS30 January 2018A supermoon is a regular part of the Moon's orbit of Earth, appearing larger and brighter in the sky. But why does this happen, and should we care?
-
NEWS5 January 2018
This picture of the Earth and the Moon was captured by a NASA spacecraft on a mission to learn more about where life started.
All space stories
-
SCIENCE NEWS
Meteorite reveals the oldest magnets in the solar system
29 March 2018
Researchers have been studying the magnetic fields of 4.6-billion-year-old meteorites.
-
SPACE
15 March 2018
Explore facts about Mercury, our solar system's fastest and often elusive planet.
-
NEWS
From the Museum to Mars: a meteorite returns home
14 February 2018
A piece of Martian meteorite is being returned to the red planet by NASA.
-
NEWS
30 January 2018
A supermoon is a regular part of the Moon's orbit of Earth, appearing larger and brighter in the sky. But why does this happen, and should we care?
-
SPACE
Mystery of the Barwell meteorite
11 January 2018
Discover how a meteorite fragment in the Museum collection hid a secret about the origins of our solar system.
-
NEWS
Stunning image of the Earth from three million miles away captured by OSIRIS-REx
5 January 2018
This picture of the Earth and the Moon was captured by a NASA spacecraft on a mission to learn more about where life started.
-
NEWS
New piece of the Moon arrives at the Museum
21 December 2017
A new lunar meteorite has joined the Museum's collection. The sample, weighing 147 grammes, will help researchers' studies into the origin and early evolution of the Moon.
-
NEWS
How did the largest volcanoes in the solar system grow on Mars?
25 October 2017
Martian volcanoes are the largest in the solar system, but how fast they grow has long stumped planetary geologists.
-
SPACE
The Imilac meteorite: a gem as old as the solar system
18 April 2017
Dr Caroline Smith sheds light on the secrets this rock holds about the formation of our own planet.
-
SPACE
14 June 2016
A distinctive blue and green image of Earth reveals our planet's most remarkable features.
-
NEWS
First evidence that asteroids delivered water to the Moon
31 May 2016
Water on the surface of the Moon was supplied by asteroids, a study has shown.
-
SPACE
9 May 2016
Discover how a giant interstellar cloud known as the solar nebula gave birth to our solar system and everything in it.
-
SPACE
3 May 2016
Our solar system's outermost planet may be last but it's certainly not least. Get the facts on this planet of extremes.
-
SPACE
Michael Benson: reflections on Saturn
29 April 2016
Otherworlds artist Michael Benson discusses his images of Saturn – 'one of the most extraordinary things ever seen in nature'.
-
SPACE
27 April 2016
Discover how a surface mottled with dark patches reveals the moon's volcanic past.
-
SPACE
Scanning the skies for shooting stars
23 April 2016
Last year, the Museum switched on a CCTV camera with a difference - instead of filming people, this one records the night sky.
-
SPACE
Exploring Martian mysteries in lceland's volcanoes
11 April 2016
Learn how Iceland's volcanic terrain is shaping the way scientists explore the surface of Mars.
-
SPACE
4 April 2016
The surface of the Moon is speckled with craters - why doesn't Earth have a similarly scarred surface?
-
SPACE
Shooting stars: How to photograph the night sky
24 March 2016
Anyone can capture the majesty of the galaxy with a simple camera. All you need is a dark, clear night and the willingness to have a go.
-
SPACE
Eight ingredients for life in space
23 March 2016
By studying how organisms survive and thrive on Earth, scientists have identified key ingredients that appear to be essential for life.
-
SPACE
22 March 2016
Watery world or desert planet? Mars holds secrets that are still being uncovered today.
-
SPACE
8 March 2016
Giant auroras, raging clouds and a storm three centuries in the making - Jupiter is every bit as dramatic as its appearance suggests.
-
SPACE
23 February 2016
Cold, dark and windswept - despite its calm appearance, the ice giant Uranus is a planet of extremes.
-
SPACE
11 February 2016
Blue skies on a golden planet, and two of our solar system's greatest extremes – Saturn is a planet of contrasts and surprises.
-
SPACE
Graphic guide to our solar system
31 January 2016
How long is a day on the moon? Find out with this visual tour through our solar system's most fascinating features.
-
SPACE
27 January 2016
Acid clouds and floods of lava – it may be our nearest planetary neighbour, but Venus is utterly inhospitable to human life.
-
SPACE
Michael Benson: The art of Otherworlds
22 January 2016
Artist Michael Benson explores the 'alchemy' used to transform space agency data into colour images of our solar system.
-
SPACE
15 January 2016
The last 100 years have transformed our understanding of the Sun, but our star is yet to be fully understood.
-
SPACE
15 January 2016
Artist Michael Benson explores one of his favourite images: the moon Europa photographed above Jupiter's Great Red Spot.
-
SPACE
4 January 2016
A blue atmosphere, smooth areas, and youthful mountain ranges - this dwarf planet is full of surprises.
-
SPACE
Could life have formed on Mars?
7 December 2015
Museum geologists investigate Iceland's volcanic landscape, and ask whether life could have formed under similar conditions on Mars.
-
SPACE
Portrait of a planetary scientist
7 December 2015
Peering into our solar system's origins with light brighter than ten billion suns - discover the work of a planetary scientist.
-
NEWS
Museums celebrate UK astronaut Tim Peake space launch
6 November 2015
Institutions in South Kensington will host a day of events celebrating the launch of British astronaut Tim Peake.
-
NEWS
Stunning images reveal blue skies and water ice on Pluto
12 October 2015
Museum scientist Professor Sara Russell says the discovery could mean that organic material, including water, is widespread in the outer reaches of our solar system.
-
NEWS
Salty water streams give further hint at life on Mars
29 September 2015
Museum researcher Dr Joe Michalski says NASA discovery points to Martian environments that could be habitable by certain kinds of bacteria.
-
NEWS
Museum to display rare meteorite from solar system's birth
24 September 2015
The satsuma-sized Ivuna meteorite contains a record of primordial material from 4.6 billion years ago - around the same time as the formation of the sun and planets.
-
NEWS
Pluto flyby data will be used to create art for Museum exhibition
15 July 2015
Data from a Pluto flyby to be turned into art.
-
NEWS
Opals on Mars could hold a record of ancient life
10 July 2015
A special kind of opal that can trap microbes on Earth has been found in a Martian meteorite, suggesting a new target in the search for signs of life on Mars.
-
SPACE
8 January 2015
Planetary scientist Dr Penelope Wozniakiewicz is looking for micrometeorites on a remote island in the Pacific Ocean.
-
SPACE
The patience of an asteroid adventurer
8 January 2015
Prof Sara Russell is part of a mission to collect samples from the asteroid Bennu and return them to Earth in 2023.
-
NEWS
First samples of dust from outside the solar system
14 August 2014
Microscopic particles brought back to Earth by the Stardust mission are likely the first examples of interstellar dust.
-
NEWS
Meteorites expose Moon surface formation
11 August 2014
Lunar meteorites reveal the diverse composition of the Moon's crust, contrary to a theory based on Apollo samples.
-
NEWS
Museum Mars expert on a soapbox
26 June 2014
Women scientists, including the Museum's Mars expert Natasha Stephen, will discuss their work on South Bank this Saturday 29 June 2014.
-
NEWS
NASA suggests humans could be on Mars by 2035
27 May 2014
NASA's chief scientist tells the European Lunar Symposium that people on the surface of the red planet is the Agency's 'primary mission'.
-
NEWS
NASA scientist arrives to scan Apollo 14 Moon rock
14 February 2014
Museum scans of 3.9-billion-year-old Apollo Moon rock could expose new insights into the Moon's geological history.
-
NEWS
Comet-chaser prepares to probe the early solar system
20 January 2014
Search for Earth's building blocks heats up as Rosetta nears its target.